Whether you're launching a crypto trading platform, a tokenized securities exchange, or a digital asset custody solution — GiGCXOs brings deeper hands-on regulatory experience than nearly any compliance outsourcing firm in the market. We help you become a registered broker-dealer and stay there.
No space in financial services carries more regulatory ambiguity than digital assets. A token that looks like a currency to one regulator is a security to another. Stablecoins, prediction markets, and DeFi protocols each carry their own layered risk of SEC enforcement, CFTC jurisdiction, or FinCEN obligations — sometimes simultaneously. GiGCXOs has spent over a decade building the institutional knowledge to parse these distinctions and build defensible compliance programs around them.
Many digital tokens — including most ICO and IEO offerings, tokenized equities, and yield-bearing protocols — are securities under the Howey Test. Firms dealing in these assets must register as broker-dealers with the SEC and become FINRA members, or operate under a registered investment adviser framework.
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and most proof-of-work tokens are commodities under CFTC jurisdiction. Derivatives on those assets — futures, options, swaps — require registration as a DCM, SEF, or FCM. Prediction markets sit in a particularly contested space, with CFTC enforcement actions increasingly targeting event-based contracts.
The areas most firms struggle with are exactly where GiGCXOs has the deepest bench. Our team has worked through these questions with regulators, in-house counsel, and institutional clients — not just in theory, but in live regulatory proceedings.
| Asset / Structure | Primary Regulator | Key Compliance Question | GiGCXOs Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiat-backed Stablecoins | SEC + OCC | Does yield or governance token create a security? Money transmission licensing. | Structural analysis, state MSB licensing roadmap, Reg D / exemption review |
| Algorithmic Stablecoins | SEC | Rebalancing mechanisms and protocol tokens likely trigger Howey. High enforcement risk. | Token counsel coordination, broker-dealer or exemption pathway analysis |
| Prediction Markets | CFTC | Event contracts vs. swaps vs. designated contract markets — each has different registration requirements. | CFTC Part 40 no-action letter strategy, DCM/SEF registration, product design review |
| Tokenized Securities (RWA) | SEC | Broker-dealer registration required for secondary trading. ATS or exchange registration for platforms. | Full broker-dealer registration, ATS Form ATS-N, Reg A+ / Reg D offering coordination |
| Crypto Derivatives & Perpetuals | CFTC | Off-exchange perpetuals to US persons are illegal without CFTC registration. High enforcement priority. | FCM registration, risk-based blocking/geo-fencing strategy, NFA compliance program |
| DeFi Protocols with Governance Tokens | SEC + CFTC | Protocol developers may be unregistered dealers or investment companies. Enforcement risk is material. | Developer risk assessment, decentralization analysis, optional no-action strategy |
Most digital asset firms need broker-dealer registration before they can legally operate a platform that facilitates buying, selling, or trading of securities — including tokenized assets. GiGCXOs handles the entire process, from pre-application strategy through ongoing FINRA membership obligations.
Before filing anything, we conduct a rigorous classification of your assets, revenue model, and business activities. We identify which regulators apply, which registrations are required, and which exemptions may be available — including the broker-dealer exemption under Section 15(a) and the dealer definition under recent SEC guidance.
We advise on entity structure, capitalization (FOCUS Report net capital requirements), and the supervisory framework your compliance program must include. For crypto firms this includes crypto-specific Written Supervisory Procedures (WSPs), AML program, and OFAC/sanctions policy for blockchain addresses.
We prepare and file your NMA — including Form BD, membership agreement, compliance manuals, business plan, financial projections, and background disclosures for all associated persons. Our team has navigated FINRA's heightened scrutiny of digital asset firms and prepares you for the NMA interview.
Post-approval, we manage your FINRA reporting obligations, annual certifications, examination preparation, and ongoing WSP updates as the regulatory landscape evolves. We also handle state securities licensing (Series 65/66 coordination), FinCEN SAR/CTR obligations, and any concurrent MSB registrations.
Most compliance outsourcing firms built their practice in traditional broker-dealer and RIA work, then added "crypto" to their service list after 2020. GiGCXOs has been doing this since the beginning — working through the earliest SEC no-action requests, the first tokenized security broker-dealer registrations, and the most contested classification questions in the space.
Our principals have worked in digital asset compliance since the earliest days of the space — through the 2017 ICO wave, the 2019 SEC framework release, the 2021 DeFi enforcement surge, and the post-FTX regulatory reckoning. We've seen every version of this regulatory environment and know where it's headed.
The single most important question for any digital asset firm is whether its tokens are securities. We have performed hundreds of Howey analyses, coordinated with token counsel on Regulation D and Regulation A+ offerings, and advised firms through SEC investigation inquiries. This is our daily work — not a new competency.
Many compliance firms understand securities regulation or commodity regulation. Very few understand both well enough to advise a firm operating across that divide — like a platform that trades both tokenized equities (SEC) and Bitcoin futures (CFTC). GiGCXOs is one of those firms.
Through our AICompliance360 platform powered by Hadrius, we can deploy broker-dealer compliance programs, monitor digital asset transactions, and generate regulatory filings at a fraction of the cost and timeline of traditional approaches. Critical for fast-moving digital asset firms.
Digital asset broker-dealers require a designated Chief Compliance Officer. GiGCXOs provides fractional CCO coverage from experienced FINRA-licensed compliance professionals who have served in this role at registered digital asset broker-dealers — not just traditional firms.
FINRA and SEC examinations of digital asset broker-dealers involve additional review areas: custody arrangements, blockchain address screening, staking and lending product disclosures, and technology risk assessments. We prepare your firm for examinations with those specific areas in scope.
Schedule a free 60-minute consultation. We'll assess your token structure, business model, and regulatory pathway — and tell you exactly what it will take to register and operate legally.